Huppah: A Traditional Jewish Wedding Ceremony

It is where a couple makes sacred promises to one another and consent to get married to that particular person. Rings are also exchanged during this time. This richly symbolic action seals commitment to one another. The giving of consent means you marry each other and that you make the promise to each other to be ever loving and faithful and bear children. Vows can only be adapted slightly. This can be the case of my interviewee who chose not to put the word ‘obey’ in their vows. The vows were chosen from guides or booklets where they can pick from a selection of marriage vows. In Anglican weddings, the consent is asked by the celebrant, addressing the groom and then the bride to love, comfort, honour and protect each other. Couple with joined hands, facing one another, then exchange vows. They should include keywords such as ‘to love and to cherish as long as we both live’. Rings are also exchanged. My Anglican interviewees used the church’s vows and adapted it a little bit. The exchange of vows and rings is the main feature for couples, which shows that they are now married and that they are husband and wife. There is a limited range in changes in Christian weddings. However, there are some options for people who want to personalise it but only to a certain degree such as the vows. The church vows are more favourable since it consists of all the necessary things a husband and

During the preparations of the marriage a “ketubah” (pre-nuptial agreement) is presented from the groom to the bride (as the mitzvah of marriage states should happen). It is written in Aramaic, the original language used in the earlier generations showing the significance of tradition for Jews (mainly orthodox and conservative). This document outlines the responsibilities of the husband during the marriage and if the marriage terminates. It is important because it is the way the community can ensure the individuals are protected should something go wrong and there is support of the woman in case of death or divorce.

The wedding ceremony is a celebratory event romanticized by couples nationwide for its ability to unite creativity and tradition in a convenient package. One need only observe the plethora of wedding trends, from outlandishly alternative to stringently orthodox, to understand how important representing individuality remains among contemporary couples. In retrospect, much of the symbolisms attributed to these trends come from centuries of applied social significance; couples see the most value in a marriage celebration which allows them to flaunt their unique qualities as individuals while simultaneously modeling the long-standing customs of preceding weddings. In the 2002 film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, director Joel Zwick illustrates the

There are various customs and traditions for marriage in United States based on varying factors such as culture, social norms, and religion. There are no unique practices because most of practices are derived from other cultures. The marriage practices and customs revolve around wedding attire, before wedding, wedding ceremony, reception, and after wedding. White bridal dresses are worn with a veil in weddings. However, those not wedding for the first time can choose any color of bridal dresses apart from white. Before a wedding, most have bridal showers where the bride receives gifts from the guests. Preparation takes considerable time to plan a wedding. In a wedding, groomsmen and bridesmaids are included (Lilian, 2013). The bride’s father walks the bride down the aisle to indicate approval of the groom. “The typical 21st century wedding can now feature a supporting cast of stepparents, half-siblings, Dad's new girlfriend and her kids, the bride's first stepfather and his new wife, and sometimes even the bride and groom's ex-spouses” Wedding cakes are used and couples kiss as a form of endearment. Cakes are seen symbols of fertility. It is a custom for the newly married woman to

example, a marriage between to people that love each other is represented by the vows

A traditional Jewish wedding ceremony takes place under wedding canopy, symbolizing the new home being built by the couple when they become husband and wife. Some Jewish culture has a custom to cover the face of the bride, followed by a prayer. The husband is then led under the wedding canopy by the two fathers and the wife by the two mothers. After, the rings are the presented and then the groom and bride puts them on for one another. Lastly, there is the breaking of the glass where he crushes it with his

In America we are known for throwing lavish ceremonies and expensive parties to celebrate the union between two people. I’ve attended quite a few weddings and participated in one during my lifetime thus far. Most weddings in the American culture follow the same itinerary.

The Hindu marriage usually takes in the bride’s hometown or city. The venue is generally a town or community hall, or a hotel, depending on the budget of the bride’s family. There are often blessings in the temple before or after the service.

there is no official ceremony that unites two people together as a couple, instead it is more the matter of 2 hammocks next to one another. The 'marriage' doesn't define them as sexual partners (it is not uncommon for brothers to sleep with each other's wives)

Wedding ceremonies are often held in a variety of religious chapels for the couple based on their belief. On the other hand, many relationships are accepting a new common trend as couples are now living together, as if they are indeed married but without a legal certificate nor have gone through any ceremonial traditions.

The bridal price of an ancient Jewish bride not only compensated a young woman's family, but the amount also indicated the love that a young man had for the woman in terms of what he was willing to pay. The ancient Hebrew word for a bridal payment is called mohar. Mohar was paid by the groom to a bride's father, and it was an obligation under ancient Jewish law. Mattan, however, was a gift given directly to an ancient Jewish bride, and it was considered to have been an expression of love from the bridegroom. The ancient Jewish custom of mohar was the financial side of marriage, but mattan was the romantic side, much like today when a young man presents an engagement ring, as protocol for the request of a hand in marriage.

I was fifteen years old when I first saw a wedding ceremony in Mexico. All the people in the church were happy and animated. Everybody was sitting and waiting for the bride to arrive. The groom looked nervous and excited. Finally the bride arrived to the church, everybody was clapping and smiling to her; it was so beautiful to see that two persons were about to join their lives forever. However, nobody could imagine all the effort that the couple did to make the ceremony wedding happen. When a couple wants to marry, the first step to do is to ask for the bride. In Mexico, the tradition is that the groom and his parents visit the family’s bride. Usually the meeting is to have permission of her parents and to start planning

The wedding ceremony is usually presided over by the church minister, but if they are not available,

If they were to meet each other without the parent’s permission, it is considered as bad manner and bad upbringing. In India, the average age to marry is 24 years old for the males and 22 to 23 years old for the females. Indian weddings are usually the longest wedding, which are held in the night time in a huge wedding hall, that includes many different rituals which are performed in front of the God and the couple promise’s each other that they will be together in a sad or a happy moment, no matter what will be the results. Even though wedding has the same meaning in every culture, the way of celebration and ceremony is different. According to iloveindia.com, the ceremony in India is about the priest, groom, bride, and bride’s parents sit beneath a mandap, and a canopy. The wedding ceremony starts off with the Kanya Daan, in which the bride’s parents give away the bride’s hand to the groom with all her responsibility. Then the couple holds hands together and start circling around a small, enclosed fire in a ritual called the mangal phera for seven times by taking a seven oaths together to spend a rest of the life to live as a one soul. The seven steps around the enclosed fire, is the vow to support each other and live happily together. Finally, the groom will apply a red powder to the center of the bride’s forehead and tie a black beaded necklace around her neck, symbolizing

In the Roman Catholic Church, the ceremony is conducted within the house of God; some circumstances can warrant the marriage to take place outside of a church, for example one party is unable to appear in the church due to illness. In Catholic marriages, is believed that God blesses the couple and completes the union and it is the couple who marry each other, the priest or minister does not, rather he is a witness of the Church. The couple recite the marriage vows in front of each other, the witnesses (attendees and the priest/minister) and God. These vows serve as a promise to each other and to the church to fulfill their marital obligations, as they are now considered to be 'one flesh'.